January 25, 2016

moomin's winter follies

Hello and happy Monday! Are many of you buried under 30 inches of snow?? Oh how I wish we had just a little of that snow! Instead we had rain. Days and days of rain. Our backyard, which has terrible drainage, is a swampy mess. So since it appears to be winter winter winter for so many of you, here is a Moomin comic, 'Moomin's Winter Follies' by Tove Jansson - all about the silliness of Moomins in the winter. For more Moomins in winter, check out this book.

I shan't explain AGAIN about Moomins. Read here for more about the Moomins. I'm starting to repeat myself when it comes to the Moomintrolls. For the love of all that's cute and fanciful, please get some Moomin in your life!

This comic is adorable, but the whole vibe of it differs a smidge from the books, which can often be drop dead beautiful in their lyrical prose and existentialist musings, all while depicting the sweet fun of the Moomintroll creatures and their friends. This one is more silly and snarky.

I almost didn't feature this book, because parts of it aren't the most politically correct, but the books and the comics were written long before people might have worried about that sort of thing. There's a sort of Bugs Bunny-ish wild west language-y part where one character threatens to "blow the brains" out of another character, and well if that offends, than maybe this book is not for you.

It really is silly, whimsical fun though. Even the part where Moomintroll thinks about pushing a rival off a cliff with a tree trunk. And the part where the same character who almost goes off the cliff gets smothered in snow. (he's ok!) Also one character calls another character an ass. See, what did I tell you? Silly, whimsical fun! Did I mention this book was written a long time ago?

The gist of the story is that Moomin family (who usually hibernate in the winter) awaken one morning and decide to partake in wintertime activities, instead of sleeping through them like they usually do. They're having a grand time until Mr. Brisk (from the Great Outdoors Association) appears and forces everyone to partake in winter sports, whether they're into the idea or not. Moomin's pal, Mymble, falls desperately in love with him. And skiing, avalanches, and general Moomin absurd mayhem ensues.

There are other comics! See here. I myself love the chapter books the best, but this has tons more of the adorable Moomin art, which is always fun. When it comes to Moomins, it really is best to just collect everything. Just get them ALL.

We had so much rain last week - but the temps are inching up - I think we've seen the last of the cold cold weather around here which makes me sad and glad - a little of both! I do so wish we had a even a little bit of snow!!

Because, Kansas. HA HA HA HA! That needs to be a catchphrase!! Isn't the mug the BEST?? My dad got us the mug from a trip to Norway! Can you believe? I was like, omg you're going to Scandinavia, get us ANYTHING related to Moomins, and he was like what the ^%$#& are those, and I was like, it doesn't matter! You'll see them everywhere! Get anything! And he was like, uh yeah this Moomin stuff is everywhere! And he got us the mug and a pillowcase and some stickers and tiny stuffed LITTLE MY. I've been meaning to do a post on my Moomin loot for ages. Oh well.

Meet Melissa

I'm the creator of Julia's Bookbag and Julia's Book Boxes. Ask me about ordering the current book surprise box! Vintage, current, and unique book finds are my passion, along with treats, teas, and all things cozy.